Account Types and Minimum DepositsThere are three types of accounts offered at FXCM:

Standard accounts require a minimum deposit of $2000 (or 200,000 Yen) and caters to most traders or investors. Standard accounts can be opened in USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, NZD, AUD or JPY funds.

Active Trader accounts are for traders doing significant monthly volume of $10 million or more. These accounts require a minimum $50,000 initial deposit. This account can only be opened with USD funds.

Micro accounts only require a $50 deposit, and allows investors and traders to introduce themselves to the forex market and/or trade in very small increments. The account can only be opened with USD funds. (For related reading, see Forex Basics: Setting Up An Account.)

Services OfferedFXCM offers traders multiple platforms for trading forex. Contract for Difference (CFD) trading is also available for non-US residents. Figure 1 shows the features offered by the different platforms. "TS" stands for Trading Station, FXCM's main platform. Active Traders have their own software that allows them to see market depth. MetaTrader 4 is a very popular trading platform used around the globe. Mirror Trading accounts mimic the trades of successful traders automatically in the account.